Military, commercial and recreational pursuits all may require that undersea personnel travel substantial distances under water. Military operations require that military personnel approach an objective from the sea and reach the objective quickly, quietly and in good physical condition. Commercial endeavors often require the shuttling of personnel to and from an undersea work site, while recreational pursuits, such as wreck exploration, may require substantial travel from the surface to and from the exploration site. As swimmers equipped with self-contained underwater breathing (SCUBA) apparatus have a limited underwater duration, manual propulsion at a slow travel rate both depletes the available air supply, limiting the time that the diver can spend at his assigned duties, and also limits the range of travel. In addition, the physical exertion required for manual propulsion can leave the diver fatigued, low on air, and incapable of performing at an optimum level.
There have heretofore been developed propulsion devices which purport to assist in the transport of divers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. Re 36,093 to the present inventor and another discloses a submersible boat capable of both surface and submerged travel in which divers are situated in the interior. Such a construction is typically capable of delivering a plurality of personnel to a target location, but is not intended for use by one or two divers. Further, the device is relatively large and does not have the maneuverability of a small, individual use transport vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,714 to Lewis et al. discloses an aquatic vehicle for the underwater transport of swimmers and divers in which the user holds attachment grips located on opposed sides of the body.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,096 of Nov. 23, 1999 to Benesch et al. a diver tow vehicle is provided, wherein the diver is behind a bullet-shaped shell. The device is not independently powered, however, but rather is towed by another vehicle. When the tow vehicle is disconnected from the propulsion vehicle, the tow vehicle stops and rises to the surface.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a personal swimmer transport device to enable a diver to travel at increased speeds underwater over longer distances than has previously been possible with diver propulsion units.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a swimmer transport device which is capable of transporting cargo in addition to a diver.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a highly maneuverable, independently powered swimmer transport device.
Yet a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a swimmer transport device which is of compact design, and may be collapsible for storage.
In accordance with the foregoing and other objects and purposes, a swimmer transport device constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a self-powered, open deck underwater travel watercraft providing motive power for supporting a diver oriented in a prone position above or upon the deck. The vehicle has a generally cylindrical open hull supporting the deck and having a blunt bow. The blunt bow forms a shroud extending above the deck whereby the diver, extending in a generally prone position on the craft deck, which is tethered to the watercraft within the flow shadow of the bow. A cargo area can be located below the forward deck portion. Propulsion, steering and depth control apparatus are provided, along with associated swimmer-operated controls therefor. A viewing port is provided in the bow to allow the swimmer to view the area ahead of the vehicle for navigation and reconnaissance purposes. Direction and depth gauges may also be provided.
Preferably, the buoyancy of the watercraft is trimmed to establish neutral buoyancy, thus facilitating control and operation of the device by the diver, and improving its maneuverability and travel efficiency. Depth control may be accomplished by a pair of bow planes coupled to a control yoke, while port/starboard steering may be accomplished by a rear pivoting electrical thruster, also controlled by the control yoke. The transport device may be constructed in forward and aft portions which are capable of being disconnected and slid together to allow the transport device to be stored in a collapsed configuration. The bow planes may be removable to allow the watercraft to be passed through hatches on conventional watercraft, such as submarines.